Robert Parks in the 1960s lived in small cabin on Houllihan Lake to help Cyrus Eaton raise a variety of waterfowl.

Robert Parks knew Cyrus Eaton in the early 60s. When Robert park and his wife Judith (an artist) toured Thinkers Lodge, he said, “Cyrus was an every day sort of guy.” Robert met Anne Eaton on the front porch at the cabin in Deep Cove.

As a young man in his twenties, Robert worked for the province. At Houllihan Lake in Lunenberg near Deep Cove there was a cabin where Robert lived as he studied the ducks and geese. Park remembers that Eaton had incubators on his farm at Deep Cove. The goal was to raise a variety of waterfowl to be released in the province. Robert helped Eaton by raising waterfowl at Houllihan Lake such as mallards and wood ducks from eggs. He fed the ducks. They built a variety of pens to hold the ducks and geese at different ages. In the cabin, Park used a hot plate for cooking.

He got to know Ray Szabo (Eaton’s assistant) and his family who lived very near the lake. They shared meals and remained friends for the rest of their lives. He also became friends with Mac Eaton, Cyrus’s youngest son, who lived in Wolfville.

Cyrus wanted to build a sanctuary. He invited landowners to have discussions about creating a preserve that would be approved by the Province. Robert and Eaton traveled from one lake to another. Ray Szabo, Cecil and Greta Gates accompanied them. They didn’t have to portage the canoes because he had canoes waiting at the next lake. Robert remember that at one point Cyrus stopped paddling his canoe. Robert asked, “What’s wrong.” He saw a huge pine tree three quarters fallen over. Cyrus replied, ‘You don’t see a sight like that from my office in Cleveland.’ “Clearly Cyrus loved nature. He felt at home there.”

He lived in Cambridge in Kings Country. Robert described another sanctuary in Sheffield Mills in Kings County. Robert Parks had just finished book Enhancement of Inline Sport Fishery. Robert said that at Patten Lake 6000 acres had been set aside for a sanctuary near Missquash Marsh.